It’s Madden season yet again, and this year’s edition from EA Sports improves defensive mechanics to make playing “Madden NFL 15” on this side of the ball much more fun than in years’ past.

Among the additions include a tackling cone to give players a better idea when to make their move on the ball carrier. I found it very helpful in stopping what could have been big offensive plays, and eventually turned it off once I memorized the visual aid. Also, using a button to make a big hit was much more effective for me instead of clumsily pushing the control stick.

Buttons are also implemented in shedding blocks to get into the backfield, where prompts will display above the players’ heads when finesse and power moves are available. Jumping the snap requires a perfectly timed press of the shoulder button to easily break past a blocker, but messing up could mean getting pancaked by the offensive linemen. Zone coverage has been improved, and this was greatly noticeable on the offensive side of the ball when I kept throwing interceptions, requiring me to tweak my strategies. New defensive cameras with the over-the-shoulder perspective do wonders in forcing three-and-outs.

Quarterback accuracy plays a bigger role in completing passes this year, making it much harder to get the ball to receivers while scrambling around. Because of this, new catch animations for receivers and defenders were created, which look really good in action.

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The play call screen also got a big overhaul this year, making the selection process much simpler. Strategy picks organizes specific plays for whatever down and yardage is left. Community picks are the most picked plays during online games, and favorites organizes your most popular selections during certain situations — so no more rummaging through the playbook to find them. The attention to detail is high, even with percentages on how successful each play is and what formation the opposition might choose.

The visuals and presentation are a great sign of things to come on next-gen consoles. Player models are more enhanced, looking more like their real-life counterparts. Along with fancy new camera angles giving some cool shots of the stadiums and field, the pre-game and half-time shows further enhance the broadcast experience.

That said there are still glitches that have plagued Madden games in the past, like pop-in graphics and players flopping around after plays. Elsewhere, the commentary from Phil Simms and Jim Nantz is still inconsistent at times and very repetitive over time.

The game modes are familiar to any Madden fan. The Skills Trainer has been expanded with dozens of tutorials and drills teaching all about the basics of football. The Gauntlet has its charm where you take on increasingly difficult challenges and boss stages like kicking a 110-yard field goal in a hurricane.

The card-collecting/fantasy football Madden Ultimate Team is aimed at newcomers to this mode with objectives like selling items and opening packs. Finally, a binder lets you easily sort players and choose actions.

The Connected Franchise mode — where you control a player, coach or owner — features a new confidence stat that rises or falls depending on many factors like winning or losing, trading teammates, and much more. In Game Prep, you allocate time each week of the season to boost confidence and/or player experience points to make them better. There’s a lot to juggle here and does take time to get used to.

For those who skipped the mediocre 25th anniversary edition last year, “Madden NFL 15” has enough improvements that definitely make it worth a buy.

3 stars out of 4

A copy of “Madden NFL 15” for the PS4 was supplied by the publisher for this review.